Here's a great list of things to consider when you are planning to build your new custom home on Cape Cod. After designing and building nearly 1,500 new home, renovation, and addition projects here on Cape Cod, we decided to put together a list of important considerations for those looking to build. This list will be helpful when selecting a piece of land or property for a new home project or renovation, and provides a list of questions to ask your prospective designer or builder.

1. Ask for references from your builder and designer, and follow up with them, ask about the overall experience
2. Ask about your builder’s warranty program and manufacturer’s warranties
3. Get your designer and builder out to your prospective home site BEFORE you decide to purchase the property
4. Ask how long it will take to get the design, permitting and engineering done, and expect that timeline to increase for waterfront or other properties near wetlands or sensitive areas
5. Set a realistic budget BEFORE you purchase land (Click here for REEF’s Construction Cost Guide)
6. Make A Wants List & A Needs List, it will help set priorities for the design and budget
7. Ask the builder or designer for a list of vendors they work with, and visit with them
8. Ask how the interior and exterior finishes are selected
9. How are changes handled, both before and during construction?
10. Ask to see change order documents and other forms used during construction
11.  Ask about fees the designer or builder charges for their work
12. Examine the cost estimate in detail and ask for clarification of each line item
13. Mentally visualize your floor plan, or ask for a 3D rendering to better understand your new home
14. Consider views, natural light, and window options
15. Understand the property you are buying and review boundaries and set-backs with surveyor and builder
16. Consider a walkout basement or drive under garage on sloping lots
17. Start your budget planning with Landscaping, as most people defer landscaping to the end of the project when the budget may be exceeded
18. Ask to walk the property with the builder prior to clearing and identify and save large trees if possible
19. Research the property tax rate so you know what the real estate taxes will be for your new home
20. Expect to pay more than you originally planned, and understand what is included with your contract
21. Use the highest quality materials available within your budget, it will save money in the long run
22. Ask your builder what is not included or specifically excluded from your contract
23. Plan for an outdoor living area, furniture, play areas etc.
24. Use proven, energy efficient systems with a strong performance track record
25. Examine the options for vaulted or cathedral ceilings to enhance the feel of important rooms
26. Include a convenient location for laundry areas, preferably near bedrooms
27. Ask about Universal Design or Aging in Place design for retirement homes
28. Design a walk-in pantry area
29. Consider multiple work / prep areas in the kitchen
30. Choose low maintenance materials
31. Create a light fixture and bath fixture list by room
32. Set a budget for closet storage systems and shelving
33. Include dimmers on light fixtures, both interior and exterior
34. Do not put covered porches on the north-facing side of homes
35. Consider additional exterior outlets on walls or roof lines for outdoor lighting
36. Create a separate space for an office / hobby/ or other flex space, away from the main living areas
37. Ask about the details, and take the time to read the manufacturers warranties and user guides for your selected products and finishes
38. Design with tall ceilings wherever possible
39. Use additional trim, moldings and details to dress up the home exterior
40. Install spare conduits in a few locations in the home for future wiring, speakers etc.
41. Review furniture layouts before your build, and inform your designer and builder of any special furniture pieces you might be considering
42. Insulate with the highest grade material available, the long term cost savings are huge!
43. Take time to study floor plans and elevation drawings, changes on paper are inexpensive, after building has started, changes are very expensive
44. Ask your builder to provide a construction schedule and determine a completion date
45. Visit local home shows to see new products
46. Meet with the local building inspector do ask questions about house size, orientation or other restrictions
47. Consider interior and exterior finishes that are timeless and tasteful, it will enhance the long term value of your new home
48. Consider efficient use of spaces in the home, every square foot costs money and you want to get maximum use out of each space
49. A well designed, efficient home may not have to be as big as you think!
50. Design a house that will serve your needs in the short and long term - it will add value

If you are looking for a designer or builder for your new custom home on Cape Cod, Contact the team at REEF Builders today! 

"You've been coming to the Cape your whole life, Isn't it time you stayed?"

Welcome to Part III of our series on planning, designing and building a waterfront custom home on Cape Cod. Currently, this project is nearing the construction phase, and the final plans have been turned into a 3D rendering to allow our customer the ability to get a very accurate feel for the design both inside and out. An accurate, 3D rendering is a great way to view the house on the site, with accurate topography, finishes and furnishings, and allows the owner to see and feel what it will be like to live in their new home. When designing a waterfront custom home, maximizing the view is always the driving factor. However, important considerations such as interior and exterior finishes, interior layout and overall feel of the home are still incredibly important. Our 3D rendering capabilities are extremely helpful in assessing the overall design and confirming that we have met the owner's design intent.

If you are considering designing and building a home on Cape Cod, contact us today to see what our design and construction team can do for you. Our team of designers and custom builders have a 30 year history of successful projects here on Cape Cod. As we always like to remind our customers, "You've been visiting the Cape your whole life, Isn't it time you stayed?"

There are several great tools available to designers and homeowners to help envision what a new custom home, renovation, or addition might look like in 3-D. Readily available software like AutoCad, Revit, and Sketchup can all produce high quality renderings, but nothing beats a true architectural model. Recently, we had the opportunity to work with one of our customers and have their design printed to scale on a 3-D Printer. This exercise was extremely helpful to our customer by providing a clear look of how the spaces will feel and look, far better than any computer generated views of the home.

Here are some pictures of the model (printed to 3/16" =1' Scale) in actuality - the physical model is about 12"x12"x8" tall

Here are pics of our Brewster Retro Cottage that we recently completed. Although the exterior design of this custom home is fairly traditional, the interior really brings you back to the 1950's. REEF worked with this customer to incorporate a retr0-styled interior with authentic reproduction appliances, colorful and unique finishes such as vinyl flooring, which has now become very popular in new homes.  The "wood" flooring you see in the photos is actually a very high quality vinyl plank!  Everything in this house works well to provide the feeling of an old Cape Cod Cottage, with the covered porch on the front, screened porch in the rear, and we even installed simple wooden screen doors that provide the signature "slap" when they close!

If you are considering designing, building, or remodeling here on Cape Cod, let the team at REEF Builders design and build your next Custom Home project!

Here are some pics, compliments of our flooring team at Ideal Floor Covering!

Photo by Ideal Floor - Discover midcentury home design design inspiration

Photo by Ideal Floor - Browse midcentury home design ideas

Photo by Ideal Floor - Search midcentury home design design ideas

Photo by Ideal Floor - More midcentury home design photos

 

Photo by Ideal Floor - Browse midcentury home design ideas

Photo by Ideal Floor - Browse midcentury home design ideas

Photo by Ideal Floor - Browse midcentury home design photos

 

 

Many have you may be following the ongoing lumber trade dispute between the US and Canada over the last few months. Today, the National Association of Home Builders issued a statement denouncing a proposed 20% tariff on all Canadian lumber imports. 95% of the lumber currently used in the United States is imported from Canada, and it is the essential building component used in all levels of residential construction. So regardless whether you are planning an addition, or renovation project, or a custom built home, plan on seeing the overall cost of your project increase this year as this trade dispute continues.

Here on Cape Cod, we have seen lumber prices steadily increasing since late 2016. It is unfortunate, that our government has not taken more aggressive action to curb this sort of situation. Housing, at all levels, from starter homes to elaborate custom homes, is a vital part of both the national and local economies. After watching regulations steadily increase over the last 7 years, it is disappointing to see this lumber dispute add additional unnecessary costs to the construction process. Lumber makes up approximately 7-10% of the overall cost of a new home, so a 20% increase in materials costs will add about $3,600 to an average home, and can easily add $10,000 to $20,000 to the cost of a larger custom home or renovation project.

Here's more info from the NAHB: Proposed Lumber Duties will Harm Housing

Let's hope we can get this resolved quickly!

If you are considering a new custom home, addition, or remodel on your Cape Cod property, Contact Us today!

If you are considering building a new custom home in Truro, then you will definitely want to pay attention to the changes being proposed in the town right now. There are two proposals pending to restrict future home sizes in both the Seashore and Residential Districts within the town. These are most likely a reaction to the infamous Kline house which was the subject of several law suits over the last few years.

These new restrictions will definitely impact future design and home construction in the town of Truro if adopted.

Click below for more information

Proposed Zoning Restrictions- Truro

Here's a home we finished last year in Truro we'll see if it can be built again?

If you are considering designing and building your new custom hom in Truro or anywhere on Cape Cod, please Contact Us Today!

Over the last week we have made some good progress on what is probably the most important part of the work involved in building on this waterfront home site. Our design, engineering and environmental team was able to negotiate some sand replenishment and fencing down on the beach to protect the owner's investment in their new custom home. The first step was to demolish the old house at the site (always fun to watch)

 

A post shared by REEF Custom Builders (@thecapecodbuilder) on Apr 14, 2017 at 5:37am PDT

The sand replenishment plan has 2 phases, first, the construction of a very robust oak and green heart sand fence, set on large pilings dug several feet into the beach.

The 2nd phase involves using the excavated clean sand from the future foundation, and placing it behind the fence. As you can see from the photos, this operation involves some detailed coordination and several pieces of heavy equipment on both the home site and the beach below. As the excavator gathers the sand above from the foundation hole, it is cast down to the beach where smaller machines install it behind the fence. The theory here is that the fence will reduce wash out of the sand on the beach during winter storms, providing a stable building platform and high level of protection for the future home. Based on the sensitive nature of this site, permitting and planning for this phase alone has taken well over 6 months. Our team was able to get permission from the town board of selectmen to access the beach from a nearby landing. However, we are only allowed to access the beach for a very short time, so good coordination with the subcontractor team is critical.

The next steps will be to finalize the architectural details and begin home construction.

Building A Waterfront Home

REEF is starting another waterfront custom home project next week. We are planning a multi-part series on our blog over the next several months documenting the specific challenges and unique requirement of building on the ocean. This project is a great opportunity to look at the various phases of construction, and how the complex permitting, engineering and environmental management teams come together to create the final product.

We will begin next week with the erosion control, demolition and clearing phases at the site, tearing down the existing structure and preparing the site for the new home. Even more exciting is the fact that this project will also have a substantial beach and sand replenishment component, where we will go in and support the existing bank at the water's edge using a combination of sand and sand retention fencing.

Look for regular updates over the coming week and throughout the summer. Our design team, lead by Jim Hagerty and Sara Hamilton, has been working with our engineering and environmental consultants over the last year to bring this custom home project to this point. The architectural design is nearly complete, so we'll begin construction of the home in the early summer. Here's what we'll be starting with:

 If you are interested in building a waterfront home - click here to download our Waterfront Property Guide